


Distraction

by Ndeplume



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, House Cleaning, M/M, No Smut, One Shot, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 11:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ndeplume/pseuds/Ndeplume
Summary: A house tends to get messy. Normally this wasn't a problem, but when coming down from a mission, the mess gets to Nicky. With so many changes in their life, everybody was stressed and cleaning fell down on the list of priorities. Joe could see how this was bugging his husband, so he decided to do something about it.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	Distraction

“You have to keep him distracted today.” Joe urged, his hands resting firmly on Nile’s shoulder, his wide eyes staring into Nile’s, trying to convey a sense of urgency. “Please. Until 7 pm. It’s very important you don’t let him come back here at all today.” 

The little family had been in a small mountain town for a month now. Quynh was back, they had re-voted on Booker’s exile and he was joining them for dinner every week while they rebuilt trust. Joe and Nicky had decided not to join those dinners for now, but they all agreed that it would be unnecessarily cruel to keep Andy from him forever. Besides, Quynh had formed a strong bond with Booker during her years underwater. She’d spent the time just before death in an unconscious, dreaming state, watching Booker’s life. Besides, he’d helped her find her Andromache. While she had been livid that he’d betrayed her little brothers, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t understand. She’d been in dark places before the coffin and there were times underwater when she would have given anything for the suffering to end. She also saw what the original plan was, that Booker was supposed to have been the only one taken after samples from the team were taken on the killing floor. 

The justification didn’t matter, though. The damage had been done and they were handling it. Some were handling it better than others, but they were all processing things in their own way. It was working but there were some kinks to iron out. 

Joe was known for being terrible at handling things that were weapons (Nicky was included in that category). 

Nicky was known for being excellent at handling everything at the expense of his own wellbeing. 

Normally things ironed themselves out, but this time was different. Their lives, the flow of their little family, everything was turned upside down by Booker’s betrayal, Nile’s arrival, Andy’s mortality, and Quynh’s return. Thrilled as they were to have each other, Joe and Nicky were struggling to handle all the changes. 

Joe blew off steam by training and calmed his mind by painting. Nicky read, ran, trained, and fussed, but their normal activities weren’t cutting it. Neither man slept very well. Joe was doing better than Nicky, but Nicky was so anxious and worried about the others that he was starting to struggle. Nobody but Joe had noticed yet, he wasn’t showing obvious signs of it. But Joe knew that when Nicky approached a breaking point, his surroundings started to bug him. He’d nitpick over little things like how the comforter wasn’t straight, or how Joe’s hair was tickling him, or how everyone always loaded the dishwasher the wrong way. 

Joe knew Nicky hated when things were untidy and this week, it was clearly bothering him more than it often did. As sensitive as he tried to be to his husband’s preference, Joe wasn’t good at staying tidy when he was tired. Lately he’d been leaving things all over the place. Art supplies littered their bedroom, his socks were everywhere, he would go through a drawer to find a specific sweater and leave it in a state of total disarray. It wasn’t on purpose, most of the time he didn’t realize he was making such a mess or he simply forgot to clean up. But Nicky had been tense lately. 

The night before, they’d gotten into a non-argument about it. Nicky made a comment about how he wished Joe could clean up and how he hated having to be the one to constantly tidy after him. Joe replied that he’d never asked Nicky to pick up his things. Then they’d realized their little frustrations were over nothing so important as to actually argue over, and both silently resolved to do better.

In a house with six adults, all of whom were processing some sort of trauma, it went unsaid that it was a mess. They were clean, they just weren’t tidy. It was all starting to wear on Nicky and Joe wasn’t sure how to help. They’d discussed leaving for a little while and giving themselves time to heal away from Booker, but they’d decided together that here was the place they needed to be. So that morning, after seeing Nicky straighten the shoes at the door when coming home from his run, Joe devised a plan. Nile was central to it. 

“6 pm.” She parroted. “Got it, can do. Text me if you need more time, okay?” She asked, needing no further explanation than Joe had just given her. Delighted, Joe kissed her forehead. 

“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you.” He promised, patting her cheek lovingly. He was so thankful for Nile. She was incredible. Beyond reproach. Perfect. And currently, ushering Nicky out the door. The man had just gotten back from his run and out of the shower when Nile hurried him out of the house, insisting there was a beach she needed to see. 

Joe kissed his husband goodbye and watched them go, then got to work. 

He began by making a full pot of tea. Once he had a mug for himself, he began in earnest by grabbing a garbage bag and running around the house. He emptied all the bins, took all the trash and napkins and anything left out that could be garbage and got rid of it. Then, he dusted and tidied as he went. Joe went through all of the rooms. He even took the initiative to do everyone’s sheets and towels, since he needed to do his and Nicky’s at the same time. 

With the laundry in and the rooms tidy, Joe had another mug of tea and began to wipe everything down with an all-purpose cleanser. He took his time in the bathrooms and kitchen, cleaning them properly. He even put on some music to help the time pass (he would have to thank Nile for showing him Spotify later). Joe enjoyed the work. He didn’t particularly care if a place was clean, but the methodical and mindless job was pleasant because he knew Nicky would appreciate it. Besides, his family would feel better in a clean home, he was sure. 

Joe changed the laundry over, drank a third cup of tea, and got out the broom. He bummed to himself as he swept, always moving from the centre of the room to the doors so to ensure the demons left the house - an old tradition he never really thought much of, but one he continued nevertheless. 

Joe did the same with the mop. He had another mug of tea while waiting for the floors to dry. At this point, he had eaten nothing and drank four big mugs of black tea. He was vibrating. Since the kitchen floors were first to dry, Joe took half an hour and baked flatbread. It was an old recipe he knew by heart, one which took no time at all and which Nicky adored. 

Still full of energy when the bread was in the oven, Joe cleaned the evidence of his baking and went to re-make all the beds with fresh sheets. He then opened the windows to allow the cool air in and make the place smell less like cleaning solution. 

Finally, their safehouse was clean. Joe had even gone through his and Nicky’s drawers and re-folded things. He’d made the bed the way Nicky did, he even re-organized their toiletries so they were in the drawers, clean and tidy and put away. Joe smiled to himself as he looked over his work, then put the finishing touch out. A painting of a memory he’d placed the finishing touches on. A fire on the beach in Malta, the flames flickering and reflected in the waves, stars and moon high in the sky. Joe placed it on the wardrobe. 

When Nicky got back, Joe was just transferring the bread from a pan to a plate. Nicolo looked around the living room in awe, mouth open as he stared at the spotless safehouse. He was holding two large boba and some Vietnamese food in a bag, but those were completely forgotten as he stood, frozen, in the doorway. He only moved when Nile pushed against his side and ducked under his arm to get into the house. 

Joe appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. He smiled fondly at his husband. 

“I noticed how you were getting antsy and I know I’ve been messy lately so I enlisted Nile’s help to distract you while I tried to do something to help you feel better.” He explained, speaking English since Nile was in the room. Joe tried to make sure she never felt left out. 

Nicky’s features softened and he set their food down on the end table beside the couch. 

“Yusuf. Tesoro, amore, you didn’t need to do that just because I was getting snippy.” Nicky crooned as he stepped towards his husband, taking him into his arms. “Look at this place, it’s spotless. This must have taken you all day.” He sighed, his gaze rested on Joe’s face like he was the only person in the room. 

Yusuf met his gaze with adoring eyes, lost in his heart’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been so messy, I know this has been hard for you too, these missions always are and you’ve worked so hard to keep us all afloat. I wanted to do something for you, habibi.” Joe hummed, shifting from foot to foot in a kind of slow dance to music only they could hear. 

Nicolo hummed quietly, his features relaxed and soft. He raised his hand to run a finger along Joe’s jaw, through his beard, down a vein in his neck. 

“You’re a work of art.” He whispered, speaking a language only they remembered. “In so many ways, Yusuf, you’re beauty itself. Grace and kindness and love embodied. You don’t need to apologize for anything.” He whispered, leaning forward deliberately. He pressed his lips to Joe’s and slowly let his hand snake around his shoulder and rest on the back of his neck. 

Joe melted under Nicky’s touch. He sighed, dipping his head slightly so he could feel Nicky press against him, so he could let his hand rest on his husband’s chest as Nicky pressed as close as possible. His hand moved so their chests could touch as they kissed, practically one entity. 

When they pulled away, Joe was breathless and Nicky had a gleam in his eyes and a singular purpose on his lips. 

“Come with me.” Nicky whispered, taking his husband by the hand and leading him towards their bedroom. Joe glanced over at Nile, who was sitting at the kitchen table and playing a video game. He winked at her. 

“Don’t wait for us for dinner.” He told her, then mouthed ‘thank you’, assuming Nicky couldn’t hear. 

“Yes, thank you for keeping me distracted while my Yusuf plotted, Nile. Help yourself to dinner, we’ll eat later.” Nicky called without looking back. He tugged playfully on Joe’s hand and the pair disappeared down the hall.


End file.
